Services Rendered 1: Price of a Cure
by Higuchimon
Summary: [au: timeline divergence] When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?
1. Poison

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Price of a Cure: Chapter 1: Poison  
 **Pair:** Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,805||story: 1,805  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose  
 **Notes:** This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.  
 **Summary:** When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

* * *

The Digimon Kaiser stood before his enemies, cooler than the proverbial cucumber, head canted a small fraction to the side, the tiniest corner of his mouth twitched upward. He said nothing. He didn't need to. He simply waited.

Their attention remained divided between him – as well it should be – and the wounded form of their leader, curled up to the side and trembling from head to foot. The Kaiser did not look at Motomiya. Not yet. That would come later.

"Are you going to help or not?" The blond snapped, fists clenching. The Kaiser thought he detected a small hint of shaking as well. How fascinating.

"Let me see if I understand your situation." The Kaiser spoke with great attention to each word. He wanted to make certain they understood that whatever he did, it was out of the kindness of his heart.

Or something like that. He wasn't kind and he didn't think he had a heart.

"You came here to destroy more of _my_ spires and free more of _my_ slaves. While you were doing so, you trespassed on the territory of a Death Rosemon: who is _not_ one of my servants, but _is_ a very powerful Ultimate Digimon."

The Kaiser tried hard not to look as if he were salivating at the thought of having such a creature completely under his control. He continued, with effort. "Death Rosemon used her Thorn Whip attack to slice down your so-called leader, administering a type of poison into his system that none of you have any idea of how to cure."

"That's not true!" The taller girl interrupted. "We do know how to cure it! We just can't because -"

The Kaiser finished for her as she broke off into faint trembles. "Because it can only be cured by the juice of a very specific flower that only grows in one of the territories that _I_ control. And that is far too deep into my empire for you to sneak in and steal it without me knowing about it and stopping you." His lips twitched now. "And if you don't cure him soon, he could die. Or perhaps worse."

He liked the way they looked at that. Already terrified, ready to do anything to save Motomiya's life, and yet they could somehow look even _more_ fearful.

"So you want _me_ to either let you into my territory, destroying all of my Rings and Spirals and Spires that you can, I'm certain, and find that particular flower and administer that juice to him, or to bring it myself. And all for… what was that now?"

The blond stepped another step closer. "What do you want for it anyway?"

"Do you really have time to bargain?" The Kaiser countered. "You'll give me whatever I want and be thankful that I don't demand more. And what I want is _him_." He pointed directly toward Motomiya. "I'll cure him and I'll keep him until I'm tired of him and send him back to you, if he's in any shape to return by then."

"How are we going to know you'll actually do it and not just throw him in a cell and let him die?" The short child demanded, his fingers flexing around a slender stick. The Kaiser had seen him doing that before and recognized the reflexes of someone training in kendo. He would have to look into that more, when he had more time.

"I'll allow him to send you a message once he's recovered," the Kaiser granted. He would monitor that message, of course, not wanting any of his secrets to be sent out. "I don't want to keep him _forever_. Just until he's earned his life from me."

That would probably take a while, of course. He suspected it would be weeks. Perhaps months. Perhaps longer. How much value could one place on the life of someone so insignificant anyway? What the Kaiser wanted Motomiya to really make up for was how annoying and inconvenient he could be. They didn't need to know that, though.

He let one eyebrow creep up just a trifle more. "Now, do we have a bargain? Or perhaps you'd like more time to think it over?" He cast a glance toward the trembling Motomiya. "But does he have that much time?"

The blond tensed more, glancing at the others. None of them wanted to meet his eyes. "I don't think we have a choice."

"I would say that there's nothing to think about at all." The Kaiser gestured for one of his attendant slaves to scoop Motomiya up. "You _don't_ have a choice at all."

He started to turn away, then looked back toward the small bundle of blue hovering near where Motomiya had been. "You're his partner. I suppose if I don't let you come along, he'll be even louder than usual once he recovers." A flick of his hand toward Wormmon conveyed his desires on that matter and he started back toward his AirDramon.

It wouldn't take long to get Motomiya back on his feet. After all, he already had the remedy waiting in his fortress.

* * *

Daisuke groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead and the side of his face. His head spun as he did and he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see if the world was throwing itself around outside of his head the way it was inside.

"Man, what happened?" he muttered. He expected either no answer at all or something from his partner.

"You were attacked by Death Rosemon, because like a complete idiot, you trespassed in her territory."

Daisuke forgot all about the way the world spun, his eyes flying open to stare at the Digimon Kaiser, who stood in the doorway across from him. "What are you doing here?" Something more important struck him. "Where's here? Where am I?"

"In my fortress." The Kaiser bared his teeth in a ferocious smirk. "Which is now going to be your home until I'm tired of you. Courtesy of your _dear_ friends."

Daisuke shook his head and winced a heartbeat later at the way everything swayed even more; that was not a good idea. "What are you talking about?" He kind of remembered seeing Death Rosemon standing there, spiked whip at the ready, all pale gray shadows and fury. Then he didn't remember anything after that except blinding pain and waking up here.

"I thought what I said was clear enough but if you need a recap, then watch." The Kaiser made no actual moves, but a screen descended in front of Daisuke, static clearing up into a view that he sort of recognized. The other Chosen were there, and he saw himself collapsed, V-mon next to him, and the Kaiser descending on one of his AirDramon.

What unrolled before him sent bad shocks all down his spine and fury twisting in his stomach. The way the Kaiser wanted to put the blame all on them, just for having tried to stop him, and then using that to… and _until he was bored with him?_

Daisuke tried to get to his feet. He didn't quite make it, slumping back down, breath stuttering in his lungs.

"Idiot. I gave you the antidote, but it takes time to completely work through you. You'll need at least a day or two to be able to stand on your own two feet without falling over. Longer than that until you can run around like you usually do." The Kaiser delivered that news with a clinical precision that would put a doctor to shame. "Assuming that I let you do that, of course."

"Who said you were going to let me do anything?" Daisuke retorted, hands clutching at the sheets beneath him. Whatever they were made of was slick and cool and he found that he liked the material.

"Two points: one, the fact that I saved your life and therefore until I choose otherwise, you belong to me. Second, you're not in any condition to do otherwise. You can try but if you want to end up overtasking yourself and dying, then it certainly won't be _my_ fault."

Daisuke threw him the best look of absolute anger that he could dredge up. He dropped his head back onto the fluffy pillows beneath him and stared at the ceiling. _I hate this._ It was all the Kaiser's fault, somehow.

"Where's V-mon?" He'd seen his partner coming with him. If the Kaiser did something to him involving Rings or Spirals, then… well, he'd take the chance on risking his own life to save his partner.

"Having dinner with Wormmon, if you must know. He'll be in with you later. But now it's time for _you_ to have dinner with _me_."

Daisuke pulled up another look of anger that didn't really affect the Kaiser anymore than the first one had. The self-proclaimed Digital monarch moved farther into the room. Along with him there came a wheeled cart, being pulled by a Gizamon wearing an Evil Ring. There were several covered plates and bowls on the cart and the scent of whatever food was hidden there teased at Daisuke's nostrils.

He noticed only when the Kaiser sat down in a plush chair that the bed itself was big enough for two. He pushed every single thought about _that_ out of his mind a few seconds later. There were thoughts he wanted to think and thoughts he didn't. This one definitely was the latter.

The Gizamon pulled off the covers on the dishes, revealing a variety of soups and a few sandwiches, along with a tasty beef dish of some kind. Daisuke wasn't familiar enough with beef meals to recognize one right offhand.

At the Kaiser's wave, the Gizamon poured a bowl of hot steaming soup and handed it to his master. The Kaiser turned to Daisuke, spoon in hand, and opened his mouth.

"I swear, if you say a single word about opening up for the train or anything at all, I'm going to find a way to punch you," Daisuke snapped. He'd never liked it when Jun tried that on him on those occasions when he got sick.

The Kaiser smiled a thin little smile. "Perish the thought. But do open up your mouth. You're not strong enough to feed yourself yet, so _someone_ has to do it for you." His smile thinned a touch more. "Do recall that I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart for you."

"What heart?" Daisuke grumped before he opened his mouth to accept the spoon. The Kaiser shrugged, tipping the liquid down Daisuke's throat, and went for another spoonful.

"Does it matter?"

Daisuke did not like admitting the Kaiser had a point. Instead, he concentrated on having his dinner, and hoping that his enemy got bored with him very fast.

 **To Be Continued**


	2. Attempt

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Price of a Cure: Chapter 2: Attempt  
 **Pair:** Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,832||story: 3,637  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose  
 **Notes:** This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.  
 **Summary:** When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

* * *

"Daisuke!" V-mon launched himself forward and nearly knocked Daisuke back onto the bed, wrapping his small arms around his partner in a surprisingly strong hug. "You're all better again!"

"Of course! Nothing can keep me down!" Daisuke hugged his partner back, looking at him and instead of the Kaiser who stood in the doorway. He kind of thought he knew the Kaiser's expression anyway: that smug tilt of his lips that sort of was supposed to be a smile.

Daisuke knew smiles. That wasn't one.

He ignored it for now, though. He would much rather be with V-mon.

Something dropped onto the bed and Daisuke looked to see his D-Terminal there. "Your friends wanted to know when you were well again. Send them a message." The Kaiser moved forward, lips turning downward. "But before you send it, I'll approve of it."

Of course. Daisuke couldn't even bring himself to be surprised. He rolled his eyes as he picked up the D-Terminal. "Did you want to check for spelling and grammar?"

"You could probably use the help, but no." The Kaiser stood staring down at him. "And don't take forever. I have important work to do."

Daisuke flipped his D-Terminal open and stared at it. He wasn't surprised to see that he had messages waiting, all of them from the other Chosen. Most of them wanted to know as soon as possible that the Kaiser hadn't done anything horrible to him. Takeru's was full of apologies for it happening in the first place.

 _Yeah, thanks a lot for saving my life,_ Daisuke grumbled to himself. He still wasn't sure exactly how he felt about it, but there wasn't much he could do, either. He didn't even know what he would've done if he'd had to make the choice.

No, that wasn't true. He knew. He would've done anything that he had to in order to save someone else's life. He would've begged Ken on bended knee – again – if that was what it took. So he wasn't going to be upset at Takeru for this. It wasn't that bad. At least not yet.

He quickly typed up a reply, reassuring everyone that he was fine and Ken hadn't done anything at all to him and he'd see them again as soon as he could. He also promised to work extra hard to be amazingly boring so that Ken would send him home as soon as possible.

From above him, he heard the Kaiser laugh. "And yet, you trying to be boring would be just that much more interesting."

Daisuke threw his head back to glare up. "You think I'm just going to do whatever you say so you'll let me go?"

"I think that you can't decide what I find interesting, so whatever you do is just going to amuse me even more." The Kaiser took the D-Terminal and read over the reply, still with that annoying twitch to his lips. "It's acceptable. You may send it."

" _Thank you_ ," Daisuke snarled the answer out, yanking the D-Terminal back and hitting send before he scrambled to his feet. "You can stop treating me like a pet any time now."

"But that's what you are, Daisuke. That's exactly what you are right now. Something I keep around for my personal amusement. Something that _owes me_ his life and needs to repay that debt before I'll even _think_ about turning you back into the wild." The Kaiser stared into Daisuke's eyes, smug satisfaction written over every single word he spoke. "And what do you think you can do about it?"

Daisuke's fists clenched. He'd tackled the Kaiser once before and he wasn't at all afraid of doing so again. He'd barely begun to shift his weight before the Kaiser's hand rested on his chest, holding him back.

" _Behave_ , Motomiya." Again those lips twitched up higher and Daisuke could almost hear it coming before the Kaiser said it. "Or should I say Daisuke now?"

"How about you say 'good-bye'? That sounds pretty good to me," Daisuke grumped. He absolutely did not want the Kaiser calling him by his name. The whole thought sent shudders through him. "You know, what about my parents? They're going to get really worried if I'm not home. Especially if I'm not home for a few days. And Jun. You know her, my sister?" Of course he didn't. If he knew Jun, he wouldn't have done this. "She's got this thing, the only person allowed to really mess with me is her. So if you start doing it, she's going to get mad at you. You don't want Jun mad at you."

"If she has any arguments about what I do, then she can take it up with some of _my_ friends," the Kaiser replied, the fingers of one hand moving. Images of some of the more powerful Digimon appeared floating in the air, each one with an Evil Ring or Spiral around them. "She might find something else to do with her time."

"That doesn't mean they're not going to look for me." Daisuke grasped at any straw that he could that would mean he could get out of here and go home.

Ken shrugged, the slightest motion of his shoulders. "Then I would suggest that you do something so that they don't. I am _not_ letting you go this soon." His lips thinned now. "I also would suggest that you figure it out _fast_. Because the longer you are here, wouldn't you say the more they'll worry about you?"

Daisuke _hated_ it when someone else was right. Especially when that someone else was the Digimon Kaiser.

 _All right, what can I tell them?_ The quickest way was a lie. Daisuke wasn't good at lying. He screwed up his face, trying to think of something really good, and caught sight of the way the Kaiser watched him, that smug little smirk on his face once again. _He's_ _ **enjoying**_ _this!_

Of course he was, realization crashed in on him a heartbeat later. Everything Daisuke was doing just entertained the Kaiser that much more. He'd never wanted to swear so much in his life. But what else could he do? He didn't want to worry his parents or Jun that much. For a little while he didn't care, and they likely wouldn't worry too much if he were gone for a night or two, as long as he had a good excuse. But for Ken to let him go that soon? Not going to happen. He was probably looking at least at a _week_ here. Maybe more.

The thought of spending more than a week around the Kaiser, subject to whatever whims his enemy wanted to try out on him, sent swirls of icy fear all through him.

 _Hey, hold on. I don't have to stay here. Just because he said I had to doesn't mean I_ _ **have**_ _to. I can escape!_ The idea took quick and solid root. He didn't let himself think about it too much. Instead, he surged upward, throwing himself at the Kaiser with all of his strength.

He thought he even caught the other off-guard, since the Kaiser fell backwards. Daisuke didn't wait to ask on if he had, but headed out the door as fast as he could get his legs to move. He knew what he'd been told; that he wasn't back at full strength, but he didn't care, either. The sooner he got out of here, he sooner he could recover in his own bed. Maybe he could even persuade Hikari-chan to bring him some miso soup.

Outside of the bedroom – he still didn't know if that was the Kaiser's or not – the corridors were long, gray metal and completely empty. That sent enough of a chill down his spine, but he ignored it. V-mon's clawed feet tapped on the floor behind him. He couldn't hear anything else, not like the Kaiser's boots.

That bothered him _so_ much more than he wanted to think about. Thinking wasn't really what he wanted to do at the moment anyway. He just wanted to get out of there.

 _All right. I need a door to the outside. Or a computer. If I can find a computer and it has a Digital Gate on it, then I can get out of here._

That was all the planning that he wanted to do for the moment. It would do until he found the way out.

"Daisuke!" V-mon panted. "Where are we going?"

"Home!" Daisuke replied without a thought. "You think I'm going to stay here just because he says I should?"

V-mon didn't answer. Daisuke wasn't expecting one. Instead, he whipped around a corner, saw a Monochromon standing there staring at him with glowing scarlet eyes, and backed up, patting himself down for his D-3. _Where is it? Where is it?_

"Looking for this?"

Oh, no.

Daisuke froze at the voice from behind and slowly, ever so slowly, turned to look. There stood the Kaiser, tossing Daisuke's D-3 in his hands.

"That's _mine_!"

"For the moment, so are you. Which means no trying to run away." The Kaiser stepped forward, his footsteps echoing from the walls. "I have several ways I can keep you here, Daisuke. Would you like to be fitted with a collar and leash? I'm certain it would look magnificent on you, especially in my colors." Another step, another threatening echo. "Or we could find out if my Rings and Spirals work on humans. I _have_ been curious. Wouldn't you like to test it out for me?"

"No and _no_!" Daisuke wanted to back up but he had two options, the Monochromon and the wall and neither one was all that appealing. His eyes darted this way and that, trying to figure out a way to go. He couldn't stay here. He just couldn't. He'd go crazy trying to entertain the Kaiser for more than five minutes.

The Kaiser's hand slammed into the wall next to Daisuke, pinning him in place. "You. Belong. To. _Me_." That smile spoke of nothing but raw, pure insanity and Daisuke reacted the way anyone would. He slammed one knee up into Ken and took off down the hall again, going back the way he'd come, V-mon fast on his heels. Maybe if he went the other way…

This time it was a Tyrannomon that blocked the way. Daisuke fell back a step, realizing unwillingly that he really only had one place to go right now: right back into the bedroom he'd come out of.

 _Yeah, not gonna happen._ He measured the distance between the Tyrannomon and the floor. Was it enough so he could get through it? Maybe. Was he going to try? Absolutely. Would he probably get eaten if he failed? Almost certainly.

Oh, well. What was life without some kind of risk to it anyway? Better eaten than the Kaiser's prisoner any day of the week.

He started to run. He didn't get nearly as far as he hoped he would.

 **To Be Continued**


	3. Plans

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Price of a Cure: Chapter 3: Plans  
 **Pair:** Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,928||story: 5,565  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose  
 **Notes:** This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.  
 **Summary:** When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

* * *

Daisuke's legs trembled. His head spun. Everything around him, from the steel-gray floor to the equally steel-gray ceiling, as well as V-mon and the Digimon Kaiser. The Kaiser himself looked far more annoyed than he had any right to, given that he wasn't pitching face-first onto the floor.

"I _told_ you that you're not well yet," the other boy snapped, striding over. Daisuke wondered if he'd be able to get away before he got there, and got his answer far sooner than he would've liked, since the Kaiser grabbed him more or less by the scruff of his neck – or jacket, to be absolutely accurate – and pulled him toward the bedroom door, dismissing the Tyrannomon with a flick of one hand.

Daisuke really wanted to do something that wasn't get dragged along by his unwelcome host. His feet scrabbled at the floor but he couldn't seem to get them to work under him correctly, and certainly not in time to stop himself from getting thrown on the bed.

The Kaiser stood by the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his chest, and glared down. "Do you think you can stay here and rest without trying to kill yourself or do I need to lock you in?"

Daisuke thought he sounded as if he wouldn't like to do that. That was ridiculous, of course, because this was the Kaiser and he locked up anyone that he could. He leaned back on the pillows, realizing now just how soft and comfortable they were.

"Rather have a nap than look at you anyway," he muttered. He didn't like the idea of staying here, but it had just been proven rather strongly to him that he currently had no choice in the matter, whether he wanted one or not.

He didn't hear any reply the Kaiser gave, if he gave one at all, and only the sound of clicking boots told him that the other left. He sighed, pulling a pillow over his head.

"What am I going to do?" He had to get Ken to _not_ want to have him around. That would work out so much better if he had some kind of idea on what would do that in the first place. Nothing he could think of sounded like it would work.

"Well, you could take that nap?" V-mon suggested, scrambling up on the bed and coming up next to him. "You don't look all that good. Not like you did before, but not… you."

Daisuke sighed again. It sounded a lot better coming from V-mon than it did from the Kaiser, he knew that. "Might as well." He closed his eyes and stared at the back of his eyelids. So many questions spun around in his head as he tried to sleep and he wasn't entirely certain of just when he did slip away.

* * *

The Kaiser tried to put the thought of his guest out of his mind. It wasn't easy to do, not when he tingled with the thoughts of everything that he could do to get all the amusement possible out of Motomiya Daisuke.

 _I don't want to put a Spiral on him._ He had his suspicions that such wouldn't work anyway, and to have a completely submissive and obedient Daisuke really wouldn't be any fun. Part of what made the other something worth striking his wits against was how untameable Motomiya really was. Changing that, forcing it on him, wouldn't be any fun at all, and the Kaiser wanted this to be _fun_.

So, something else. Something thoroughly enjoyable that Motomiya couldn't turn to his advantage, at least not easily. If he ever did, that would be the moment the terms would be fulfilled and the Kaiser would return him.

Or maybe he wouldn't. He wasn't under any obligations other than his own desire to keep the word he'd given to the Chosen Children.

Regardless, he would have to do something with Motomiya while he was there. Something that wouldn't permit him to interfere in the Kaiser's conquest, since that would go on no matter what.

 _I think I would like him to see why I am the one who will win this amusing little war as well._

And just like that, he knew. The Kaiser smiled. This would work out completely to his advantage. Now he just needed the foolish boy to finish getting well so he could put it into motion.

* * *

Daisuke had no idea of how long he'd slept, but when he woke up, the first thought going through his mind was just how _hungry_ he was. His stomach agreed, growling in sharp demand, and he pulled himself to his feet, noticing as he did that he was a lot steadier than he'd been before.

He made his way over to the door, trying not to disturb V-mon, who still lay next to where he'd been, curled around a pillow and totally out of it. He hadn't stepped beyond the doorway when he saw two Digimon on the other side, both of them Gazimon. They turned the moment his shadow fell there, red eyes focusing on him. He didn't even have to say a word before one of them hurried off. The other didn't move at all, but just kept staring at him.

"So, am I supposed to stay in here or something?" Daisuke asked, keeping an eye on that one. There wasn't an answer, not that he could say he'd completely expected one. He fidgeted; every instinct he had told him to find his D-Terminal, go get V-mon, and break every Ring and Spiral that he could find in this place. Not being able to do that made him hurt even more for these Digimon.

 _Okay, I might not be able to do it now, but I'll get you all out of here one of these days,_ he promised. He didn't know if he was promising himself or the Digimon, actually. Probably both. Daisuke liked to aim to overachieve.

"So you're awake." And there was the Kaiser, the second Gazimon scampering humbling in his wake. "Do I dare to ask if you've come up with something to tell your _dear_ parents or did it cross your mind at all?"

Daisuke hated him. He really, truly hated him. He tilted his head up and gave the Kaiser his best annoyed look. "Of course I thought of something." He hadn't. Not a single thing.

"Do tell."

Uh-oh.

Daisuke's thoughts dodged and fluttered about, trying for anything that would make a bit of sense. Finally he grasped onto something, just when it looked like the Kaiser's patience, small stock of it that he had, would be exhausted. "I'm going to tell them the truth!"

"What?" Never had he imagined someone sounding so shocked.

"Well, kind of." Daisuke rubbed the back of his head and grinned. This would never work, but he would have to try something. "See, let me go back home for about an hour or so. I'll tell them that I got into a little trouble and the guy who helped me out wants me to pay it back, but to do that, I have to stay with him for a while."

It was ridiculous. It would never, ever work. Jun would figure out something was wrong before he finished getting halfway through it. He grasped at one final bit, meant more to convince the Kaiser than anything else.

"If you let me e-mail them at least once a day, then they won't worry about me."

The Kaiser considered the proposal. At least Daisuke hoped that was what he was doing. He couldn't really tell behind that visor. Finally the other jerked his head, turned, and walked down the hall. Daisuke hesitated for a few seconds before it dawned on him that the Kaiser meant for him to follow and he hurried after.

Soon enough they stood in front of a large screen with various keyboards set in front of it. The Kaiser tapped on one keyboard and a familiar gate appeared there. Daisuke could just barely see where it opened up before it blurred, twisted, and now he could see his own room there.

"How'd you do that?" Daisuke blurted out. He'd had no idea that Digital Gates could be opened up just like _that_.

The Kaiser smirked. "That's one of the many differences between you and I. Now, are you going to go or do I need to throw you through it?" He flipped his hand over and Daisuke's D-3 now appeared on his palm. "You have one hour to inform them. I _will_ be watching you. Don't try any stupid tricks. Or ones that you think are smart."

Daisuke snatched up his D-3 at once. "What are you going to do if I do?" he challenged, so very relieved to have it back in his possession, no matter how short the time was.

Again the Kaiser's lips curved. "You are on a temporary trip to avoid inconvenience to me. Your _partner_ isn't."

Oh. Well. That made a difference. Daisuke tried not to look nervous. He didn't think he was doing a very good job of it. "Well, I'll be back soon." It wasn't the most elegant good-bye but he whipped around to the gate and let himself get sucked through in a heartbeat.

He flopped right onto his own bed, almost tripping over a pile of clothes. He blinked for a few moments, turning around to see the gate still open on his home laptop, and the Kaiser staring at him coldly through it.

"One hour."

That was all that he said. That was all that was necessary. Daisuke nodded, scrambled to his feet, and hurried out the door, hoping that no one else was home. He also wondered just what time it was and if he should even _be_ here or be at school.

He pitched to a halt right at the end of the hallway, where he saw his parents and Jun sitting around the kitchen table, dinner spread out there. His stomach roared again and he wondered if he'd have time to clear the whole thing off in an hour.

"Have you been in your room all this time?" Jun asked, staring up at him. "I was wondering if I should get worried about you."

"Sit down, have something to eat," his mom said, waving him to his chair. Daisuke moved along without a thought, grabbing food as quickly as he could. He knew he was forgetting his manners, but there were other things to worry about now. Like if his parents would actually believe what he was going to tell them.

"I can't stay all that long," he said after shoving the first bites down his mouth. "I've got something really important to do."

His dad raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He launched into his explanation, keeping it vague exactly on who he would be doing this unspecified payback for, and assuring them that he would be fine, not doing anything illegal – he hoped he wouldn't be anyway – and he'd be back as soon as he could be, and would keep up with all of his homework too.

He wasn't so sure about that, but he'd never done as much of that as he should have anyway, so it probably wouldn't change too much. Once he was done, he flashed them his brightest smile.

"And I'll e-mail you guys every day so you know I'm okay!" This absolutely had to work. If it didn't, he had no idea of what he was going to do.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** And again it appears I have more story than my chosen word limit. Believe me, there's no way Ken would get tired of Daisuke in two more chapters. Therefore, I question: would you like to see the full length of Daisuke's experiences with Ken in another tale and have this simply be the setup to it? Because I can do that very easily.


	4. Truth

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Price of a Cure: Chapter 4: Truth  
 **Pair:** Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,942||story: 7,507  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose  
 **Notes:** This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.  
 **Summary:** When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

* * *

The Digimon Kaiser hated one thing about the human world at the moment: the fact that he couldn't watch it as thoroughly as he could the Digital World. He couldn't see what Daisuke was up to when he wasn't in his room. Which meant at the moment, he had no idea of what his new possession was up to. All he could do was _trust_ that Daisuke would return in the allotted time.

He did not trust easily. He seldom trusted at all.

Half-formed plans for what to do to V-mon if Daisuke extended his visit by so much as a minute surged around in the back of his mind. He would pick one if it became necessary but until then, he didn't want to waste his time with the mouthy Digimon.

He had detailed Wormmon to keep an eye on V-mon, just in case. That was something Wormmon could probably handle.

He himself waited, and was not good at it, for a sign of Daisuke's return.

* * *

Daisuke tried not to look as if he wanted to nervously stare at the other three seated around the table, focusing his attention instead on his food. He had no idea of what he might get fed once his stay with Ken swung into the long-term, but he'd always enjoyed his mom's cooking, and saw no reason to stop that now.

"All right," his dad said after a few silent moments. "Just let us know you're alive every now and then, all right? And maybe we can meet this friend of yours one of these days?"

"Maybe!" Daisuke replied with false brightness. The idea of his parents meeting the Digimon Kaiser? The Kaiser standing in the living room, in that uniform of his? Oh, no, that was just _not_ going to happen! He stifled a laugh behind another spoonful of food.

His mother nodded her agreement as well. Jun said nothing at all, but gave him a look that bid fair to send chills down his spine every bit as much as anything the Kaiser could do. He tried to ignore it, shoving more food down his mouth and trying to keep what he hoped was a discreet watch on the clock.

"I don't have a lot of time," he offered a bit cautiously. "He wanted me to be back over at his place in an hour." Sooner would probably be better. It would look as if he were being obedient, and with V-mon still there, he still had to be a little wary. Even though the idea of _obeying_ the Kaiser set his blood on fire.

"Finish your dinner!" His dad told him, bending a stern look on him. "And you can help with the dishes, too. You have time."

Somehow Daisuke didn't think that the Kaiser had a single thing on his dad when it came to giving orders. At least at the fortress he'd probably not have to wash dishes?

He hoped, anyway. He still didn't now exactly what the Kaiser had in mind and thinking about it for too long made his stomach churn. That wasn't a good thing to do with his mom's food so he refused to think about it at all.

Instead, he nodded quickly and bent more of his attention to finishing the food, listening to his parents talk about their jobs and whatever else they had on their minds. Jun didn't seem very talkative tonight, which made him wonder if something was on her mind. Normally no one around the table could keep their mouths shut for five minutes in a row, and that included him. But he thought tonight had enough on his mind to justify his silence.

It wasn't until after dinner had been finished and the dishes washed and he was heading back to his room to grab enough things to keep up the illusion that he would be living in the same world as they were that he found out what was on Jun's mind.

He'd barely stepped into his room before her voice came from behind him.

"You're lying."

Daisuke whirled around, pressing himself against the door, and stared at her. "What are you talking about?" When had she gotten so quiet? And what was she talking about?

Yes, he _was_ lying, but how did she _know?_

Jun stepped closer to him, a strange kind of anger in her eyes. "I searched your room twice before you came out of it. You weren't _anywhere_ in there. I even called your friends and they fed me a bunch of ridiculous stories about you being at a lot of different places." Her hands rested on her hips as she continued to glare at him. "You're all up to something. You have been since this year started, and I want to know what is going on. And you're not going anywhere until I _do_ know what is going on."

Daisuke swallowed. This was something he hadn't actually considered, even when he'd tried to use Jun as a hollow threat against the Kaiser.

He'd also never seen anything like this before with Jun and it kind of scared him.

"Well?" Jun stepped closer to him and he inched backward into his room. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or should I go tell mom and dad that you're lying to them and your friends are lying to me?"

Daisuke had no idea of if there was any kind of Chosen Child protocol for this. The whole thought had never actually occurred to him on any kind of serious basis. He _really_ had no idea of what the Kaiser would do and doubted that he'd even considered it.

"I told you what happened. This guy I met helped me out and now I need to stay with him until I pay him back. Shouldn't take all that long, really." Daisuke blustered, reaching behind him to get the door open. "And I really have to get my stuff and get going." How was he going to get out of there without going out the front door? He didn't need to, but he couldn't think of any way to wiggle around them like that.

Why didn't they cover this kind of thing in school? Escaping the parents to go live in the Digital World for an unknown period of time, doing who knew what for the jerk trying to conquer it should've been a class.

Well, maybe not by that name. It was kind of long. But something like that anyway.

"And I said that you're lying, because there's no way you could've gotten into your room without us knowing it," Jun repeated. She waved one hand in a gesture that was meant to convey something. Daisuke had no idea of what. "So tell me what's going on or _else_."

"Daisuke."

For once in his life, Daisuke found he was grateful for the Kaiser's sharp, harsh voice. He leaned his head back as much as he could, but he couldn't get a look at the laptop. Still, the guy could probably hear him.

"I'll just be a minute!" He mentally slapped himself. How was he going to get this one past Jun?

He wasn't. Jun wasn't going to let him get anything past her, it seemed. She pushed into his room and looked around, eyes on fire.

"All right, who are you and what kind of screwy things are you and my brother up to?"

When no answer came, she looked back and forth, her anger only building higher. "I know you're in here. I _heard_ you. I don't know how you got in here, but keeping quiet doesn't make you go away."

She started to stalk toward the closet. Daisuke tried hard to stifle a groan, worming his way more into the room so he could get a look at the laptop and hope that the Kaiser decided to go somewhere else.

Unfortunately, he hadn't, the small screen showing him there in all of his annoyed glory. He frowned the moment he caught sight of Daisuke looking at him and made a quick gesture with one hand that Daisuke translated as 'what is she doing here and get her out as fast as you can'.

He translated it that way mostly because that was what he really wanted to do and he had no idea of how to do it and hoped the Kaiser might offer a helpful suggestion or two.

"Daisuke." He jumped and turned to see Jun standing right behind him. Her eyes weren't on him, though. They rested on the laptop itself. He groaned audibly. This just wasn't going at all like he'd planned.

Granted, his plan had mostly been 'spin the story, they nod agreeably, and I run back and try to be boring until the Kaiser lets me go' so there were a few holes in it.

Her gaze shifted to him. "Why is there a strange guy in a really weird outfit on your computer? And don't tell me that's your background. I know what your background is and you wouldn't change it."

Daisuke decided it wasn't the best idea to admit that she was right. Instead he squared up his shoulders and threw a glare at her. "You know, you didn't even ask if you could come in here."

"So? I want some answers." Her gaze shifted back to the laptop. Daisuke wanted the gate to close, to give him some kind of out for this. It wouldn't put V-mon at risk since it would be the Kaiser doing it.

He hoped. But that was logic and while logic wasn't his strong suit by any means, being anything other than a total jerk wasn't the Kaiser's at all.

"Your hour is nearly up," came from the laptop, thin and a bit tinny, but clear all the same. "Say your good-byes and _get over here_."

Daisuke hissed through his teeth, grabbing the few things he really did want to take with him. He'd never packed for time in the Digital World before. He'd never thought he'd have to.

Before he could get to the laptop, Jun's hand came on his shoulder. "Tell me what is going on here."

What patience Daisuke had, which wasn't ever a huge stock to begin with, broke. "Just what I told you. This guy saved my life," he jerked a thumb toward the Kaiser, "and because he's a giant _jerk_ , I've got to go stay with him until he decides I've paid him back, which could be five minutes or five years, and with my luck, it's going to be five years. So I'd kind of like to get it started, if that's all right with you."

He didn't wait around for her to say anything else, but grabbed his D-3 out of his pants and slammed it toward the laptop. Let Jun figure this one out on her own. If she wanted to talk to the others all that much, maybe they'd tell her. He wanted to get back before the Kaiser decided it was time to hurt V-mon.

He thought he heard her saying something behind him, but ignored her as he was sucked into the portal. He thought that her hand would fade away as he left her behind, but it stayed.

Then he was on the other side, in an untidy sprawl at the Kaiser's feet, and there was another sprawl over to his side. As he half-expected, the Kaiser gripped onto his shoulder and pulled him to his feet, pointing him at the other sprawl.

"I didn't say you could bring _guests_."

Jun was in the Digital World.

 **To Be Continued**


	5. Lessons

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** Price of a Cure: Chapter 5: Lessons  
 **Pair:** Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,825||story: 9,332  
 **Genre:** Romance, Drama|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section H, #22, fic that is T rated; Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #30, rose  
 **Notes:** This takes place sometime after they have all their Digimentals.  
 **Summary:** When the only way to save Daisuke's life is to give him to the Kaiser, the Chosen have no choice. He'll keep him until he gets bored with him, so the Kaiser says. But how long will that be, and what will happen before then?

* * *

"I wasn't trying to bring a guest!" Daisuke found his voice a heartbeat later and glared at the Kaiser. "I was trying to get away from her so I could come back here!" He hated just the way it sounded, as if he were eager to come back. His eyes flicked behind Ken, searching for any sign of V-mon. He didn't think he was late, but the Kaiser would probably take any chance he could to punish him somehow.

"I don't care what you were trying to do. You did it." The Kaiser stared down at Jun much the same way he usually did to Daisuke, what could be seen of his expression disapproving. "I don't want her in my world."

"I doubt she'd want to be here in the first place." Daisuke threw a sharp glare at the Kaiser before he came over to where Jun was just starting to stir. He hadn't been that out of it when he'd first arrived in the Digital World, but maybe it was different because she wasn't a Chosen? Or because she was older than he was?

He doubted that _she_ knew and he really wanted her to get home before their parents noticed anything anyway.

Jun lifted up her head and blinked, eyes bleary for the first few seconds before clearing and focusing on him. "Daisuke! What happened?" She jerked her head one way and then another. "Where _are_ we?"

Daisuke sighed. He'd never thought about having to explain about the Digital World to her, and he really hadn't wanted to do it like this. "Would you believe me if I told you that we're in the lair of an evil jerk who wants to rule an entire world, and he's the guy I've got to work for to pay off the debt for saving my life?"

"No."

"Sorry about that. I can try for a really impressive lie if you want me to?"

Jun blinked again, rubbing the back of her head as she pulled herself onto her feet. "Would not believing you make you wrong?"

"Nope."

Jun blew out a long breath and glowered at her brother. "I hate you, you know that, don't you, brat?"

Daisuke shrugged casually. "That's not going to make me wrong either." He indicated the Kaiser, who stood there being more and more annoyed with every breath. "This is the Digimon Kaiser. You've probably heard of him as -"

"The Digimon Kaiser." Ken's voice held not a shred of leniency as he glared at Daisuke. "That is the _only_ person that I am." He turned his attention back to Daisuke. "Your brother is my property until he bores me to the point I choose otherwise. That is all that you need to know. Daisuke, take her back and then _get back here_."

Jun threw off the last of her lethargy and set her hands on her hips. "Now wait just a second. What makes you think I'm going to go anywhere without my brother? He's a little jerk most of the time but you don't just go around _keeping_ people as if they were prizes!"

"If it weren't for me, your little brother would be dead by now. His life is mine to do with as I choose, and I don't take 'thank yous' as a proper reward." The Kaiser's smile slashed through the darkness of his control room. "Daisuke, I told you to take her back and return here. I've left V-mon alone until now, but if you waste any more time, I will change that."

The noise Daisuke made could best be described as a startled squeak. He grabbed hold of Jun's arm and held his D-3 in the other. "Look, I can't explain all of this. I don't have time." He scrambled for something he could say or do, and latched onto something. He had to hope this worked. "Talk to my friends. They know."

" _Motomiya_!" The Kaiser's whip uncurled in his hand and Daisuke didn't dare waste another second. He transported them both back to his bedroom and looked at her.

"I can't stay. Just, don't let Mom and Dad know. They'd never understand. _Please_ , Jun."

She stared at him for a few moments, confusion written large in her eyes, before she nodded slowly. He grinned, but it didn't feel like his usual one. Not at all.

"See you. And I _will_." He turned back to the computer and let the gate transport him one more time.

Jun stared at it, reaching out. She had time only to see the small figure of her brother being knocked down before the gate image closed and vanished off of the screen.

She stared only for another few seconds before she unplugged the entire laptop, closed it up, and marched out the door. There were people she needed to talk to.

* * *

Daisuke hit the floor almost as soon as he landed back in Ken's control room. He tried to get up, only to have the Kaiser's boot press him back down, grinding into the small of his back.

"You stay down there until I tell you to get up. And you stay quiet until I tell you to speak," the Kaiser growled. "You did not need to bring her here. You didn't need to tell her anything about me or this place. All you needed to do, all you were _ordered_ to do, was get her back there. She would've written it off as being some kind of hallucination."

Daisuke began to open his mouth and the Kaiser's boot ground harder against him. "I said for you to _stay quiet_ until I give you permission to speak. Are you too stupid to understand simple instructions? You'd better not be."

Daisuke considered pretending he was. Would that be enough to get Ken bored with him?

The Kaiser's breath puffed hot and hateful in one ear. "I know you're not. You just haven't learned how to obey orders yet. But I know how to teach you."

A thousand terrifying images cropped up in Daisuke's mind. He didn't have a chance to breathe a word of any of them before the Kaiser dragged him to his feet and pushed him down the corridor. "We're going to go get your little friend. He's a very important part of this lesson."

Daisuke slanted his eyes back to the computer for a brief second. He had no more time than that before Ken grabbed his D-3 and made it vanish inside the folds of his cape.

"Let me explain the rules. You should know them, but perhaps I've neglected to be specific. First of all, when I give a command, any command, you will obey it. You will not sit around trying to find ways around what I told you to do. You do exactly what I say and nothing else. If I don't tell you to do something, then unless it is something like breathing or your heart beating or anything that you need to survive by average human standards, then you won't do it. That includes passing messages of any kind and in any way that I do not approve of to your _friends_. Do you understand?"

Daisuke wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer, until the Kaiser pushed his shoulder roughly. "I understand." So far this little 'stay here with me because I saved your life' hadn't been all that bad. But now Ken looked hell-bent on chopping off every avenue he had to having even the smallest bit of fun.

"Second of all, under no circumstances will you attempt to escape. If you do, V-mon will pay for it. By _your_ hand."

Daisuke snapped his head around to glare, but was met only by the distant, icy stare of the Kaiser hidden behind his visor. Whatever fury he could muster wasn't good enough to get through that, not now.

"Thirdly, you'll speak when I wish you to speak when you are in my presence. If I've not asked you a question or given you an order, you will remain silent."

Daisuke couldn't hold it back any more. "How do you expect me to do all of this? Do you really think that I _will_?"

The Kaiser's lips tilted upward into the most satisfied and smug of smirks that could possibly be created. "No, I don't, Daisuke. Not at all. And seeing you struggle and _fail_ and suffer because of it is going to be far more interesting to me than you can possibly imagine." He shoved Daisuke so that the other stumbled into the room, where V-mon stood up as soon as they crossed the threshold. "I said that I'd keep you until I was bored of you. But I am not very easily bored by anything, least of all _you_."

Ice cemented itself in Daisuke's stomach, a fine bead of sweat springing up all over him at the same time. The Kaiser leaned forward, pinning Daisuke against the wall with the flat of one hand.

"I wouldn't look forward to going back home any time soon, Daisuke. It's not going to happen. You're going to stay with me and you're going to help me conquer this world and there is nothing that you can do to stop that from happening. I'm not going to have to put a Ring or a Spiral on you or V-mon, because I. Own. You." His smile lashed out, twisted and cold and full of an insanity that Daisuke had never seen there before. "And if I have to remind you of it in other ways, then I will."

Daisuke's first thought was of V-mon and what Ken had said about him being a part of this lesson. He knew there wasn't anywhere they could run inside of the Kaiser's fortress and even if there was, he still wasn't certain of how fast he could go or where to find an exit. The Kaiser had his D-3 back, which meant he couldn't get back to Earth.

He was trapped, with no way out. He hated it.

If Ken had meant to make V-mon part of this 'lesson', though, he had either forgotten it or changed his mind as he took a firm grip on Daisuke's hair, pushing him harder against the wall. Daisuke struggled, pulling his head away, but to no use. There just wasn't enough room for him to work with.

"What other ways?" Daisuke growled the words out, wanting to make certain Ken knew that he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Whatever Ken had done for him, it wasn't enough to make him bend his head and become a submissive slave.

"We have a very long time for you to find out all of them, don't we?" The Kaiser's face hung so close to Daisuke's own that he could feel hot breath on his lips. "And I look forward to showing them all to you. Every. Single. One."

 **The End**

 **Note:** Well, that's it for now. I don't know when I'll get started on the main story since there is so much else that I'm working on. But it will happen. You can trust me on that.


End file.
